Hi all, I was extremely fortunate to be able to listen to both this new Shangri-La (from now on which I will refer to as SL because I don't want to keep typing the name out) headphone from Hifiman and the new Orpheus HE1060 from Sennheiser at CES. I will also be doing some comparisons between the two headphones and the Hifiman HE1000, which I do own and am quite familiar with.
I was able to get some listening time in (about half hour) at the Hifiman booth in the Venetian towers, in relatively quiet conditions. There was some chatter in the room, but most of it was fairly low volume and easily drowned out by turning the volume up.
The setup I listened the SL on was the HM901S on its dock hooked up to Hifiman's electrostatic tube amp, the same one that is pictured on the second page.
Before I get into the sound, I want to say a few words on the SL's build quality and comfort. It is very comfortable, with the same headband design and pads as the HE1000. In fact, it's more comfortable than the HE1000 mainly because of the reduced weight (14 oz as I read on Hifiman's spec sheet). Think of the SL as a lighter HE1000 or alternatively as a bit heaver Edition X. As for build quality, at this point it's a bit rough. The wood feels about as good as the HE1000, but the grill and the headphone band itself feels like some kind of plastic. Well, it doesn't really feel like the cold metal on the HE1000.
To spoil (almost) the entire sound story, the SL is probably the best headphone I have ever heard, alongside the new Orpheus.
To get into more specifics, first of all the SL adopts a tonality somewhere between something like the HD800S (which I also heard for a bit at CES) and the HE1000. That is to say, it tilts a bit toward the warmer side but it obviously somewhat less thicker sounding than the HE1000 (and HE-400i, for those wanting a lower-end reference point). The new Orpheus has a tonality more like the HD800S, but perhaps maybe slightly warmer. In comparison to the SL, the new Orpheus does sound a bit cold. But only in comparison to the SL. IMO I think the SL has the more natural tonality, so that vocals and instruments sound more true to life than in the new Orpheus.
Secondly, the SL has a pretty large soundstage, in terms of both width and depth. It is similar in size to the HE1000 in both of those aspects, and both are also similar in that they are both speaker-like. This is one aspect that I like better about from both the SL and the HE1000 - to me, the soundstage makes listening music more like listening to speakers than when listening to the new Orpheus, and IMO sounds more natural. That is not to say that the new Orpheus has a bad soundstage - it too, is large (but perhaps a bit smaller in width), but it sounds more like listening to headphones.
As for separation, the SL surpasses that of the HE1000. Instruments are separated more clearly, to the point of matching the new Orpheus and HD800. However, I believe some may actually prefer the HE1000 here, because while sounds aren't as cleanly delineated as in the SL, some may think it sounds more organic and more like a cohesive whole. I am not saying that the SL has unnaturally good separation, but I feel the way it handles this aspect is more like Sennheiser's higher-end offerings and less like the HE1000.
Imaging is excellent, no other way to describe it. It's just as good as the new Orpheus. However, I really feel that the HE1000 really isn't lacking at all here compared to the much more expensive headphones.
Bass on the SL hits hard and is extremely well-controlled. Honestly, the way the bass is presented is actually quite similar to the new Orpheus. Both have some really good punch and the bass on both never overstays its welcome. However, for my personal preferences I actually prefer the the bass of the HE1000, which to me probably hits slightly harder, is just as well-controlled, but more importantly gives me more of a sense of awe because it feels like the bass manages to permeate the entire soundstage evenly without having a identifiable central point. On the SL and the new Orpheus, the bass just hits and it seems to be in the center - doesn't give me the same sense of awe. I hope I explained that well. I don't know, maybe I just prefer planar bass.
Mids and highs on the SL are really life-like and not sibilant at all. However, they are definitely "sharper" than in the HE1000, which to me is a good thing (I always wanted a bit more treble out of that headphone) and probably for the people who called the HE1000 "too soft." The mids and highs on the Orpheus are also equally sharper, but they do sound a bit thinner, which is probably a consequence of the new Orpheus' overall frequency response.
As for detail levels, I think it's clear that the SL retrieves more detail and deals with fast-paced music even better than the HE1000. The SL really does have that quickness to it that I have also experienced with other high-end electrostats, namely the Stax SR-009 and of course the new Orpheus. Being able to discern between each strum of the guitar has never been easier. In this respect I do feel that the SL is on par with the new Orpheus, which is also excellent in fishing out the details. However, once again, I really feel that the HE1000 is not that far behind, and perhaps is a different presentation in that the details are there but it doesn't throw it more in your face like I have found with the SL and the new Orpheus.
Overall, I feel that the SL and the new Orpheus are on par with each other in terms of sound quality. They do some things differently (the new Orpheus adopts a more HD800S tonality and a more headphone-like soundstage, while the SL adopts a somewhat more HE1000 tonality and a a more speaker-like soundstage), but overall I feel that which is better to the listener will be a matter of preference. However, I seriously feel that headphones like the HE1000 and the Stax SR-009 are not very far behind at all in terms of sound quality either. Sure, these new electrostats from Hifiman and Sennheiser are really better than everything else that has come before IMO, but it really isn't that big of a leap. To put it another way, I feel that the leap from HE1000 to SL isn't anywhere near as large as the leap from the HE560 to the HE1000 (which IMO is quite large).
One last thing, the price. No, I could not coax out an exact price from Dr. Fang Bian, but I'm afraid he's actually really considering the $30000 to $45000 USD price point cited earlier in the thread. I initially thought he was joking too, but based on my conversation with him I really feel like he really wants to set the SL at that insane price. I will be very sad if he does so. By setting a price like this, not only will many audiophiles just simply not be able to afford it, but I also feel that people won't simply buy it. Because at that price, what you are buying is a statement and a luxury item - unfortunately (?), Sennheiser does this better with its new Orpheus, which simply looks and feels better plus it has that amp which looks more expensive and puts on a dramatic show when you turn it on, unlike Hifiman's amp.
Hopefully people found this helpful and interesting!